In the closing minutes of my final interview at a small tech startup, the interviewer cracks a grin and says:
“This job will expand your network, and you’ll get to know a lot of people in ecommerce.”
The year was 2020. The interviewer was Rebuy co-founder John Erck. I had no idea how right he’d be.
As employee #8 and the first marketing hire, one of my favorite parts of working at Rebuy was connecting, interviewing, and collaborating with the creative professionals I met along the way, from employees to customers to ecosystem partners.
We’re in the people business
On my first day on the job, I met a guy we called ‘Duc’. (Because that’s his name.) And someone we called ‘Goose’. (Not his real name.) My first group project at Rebuy was a collaboration with a new developer named Strauss, who brought me into an initiative ahead of its time and who’d later build a climbing gym in his garage. Aaron, a sneakerhead and former Rebuy VP, joined after seeing the we’re hiring note I put in an early newsletter issue. Four years later, he’d start his own CPG business for fun. Sales VP Nick entered my life the day he entered his first all-hands meeting. He came in applauding a video project I’d shared on social. Nick’s a generous collaborator with the gift of gab and keen listening skills. Makes sense. You don’t become a successful sales VP without both.
Then in the fall of ’22, I surprised Eli and Kylie in a routine meeting by holding up my new 7-week-old puppy, Watsen. You should have seen the absolute shock on their faces. They work at different companies now. I owe my Figma skills to Rebuy’s first creative director, Vince, a digital creator with thousands of followers who creates everything from laser-engraved cardboard to skull-carved hobo nickels. (And who gifted me a sweet book of concert poster art that still sits on my coffee table today.)
For my first 18 months or so, I was the only marketer on the org chart. (I offer tips to other solo marketers here.) As the marketing team expanded, our campaigns grew more ambitious.
Solo marketer to full team
By the time Rebuy marketing had launched the Ecommerce Tactics Deck in the fall of 2024, Josh Catone was leading the way, supported by a killer team. For 2025, we topped the tactics deck the only way we could: with a vibecoded, 80s-style video game, complete with a sponsored giveaway and a Black Friday “morning show” livestream (watch the replay). A Black Friday morning show — was it the first of its kind? I doubt it. What I do know is this: working on my first stacked marketing team reminded me how amazing it is when a group of resourceful people pulls together to do ambitious things.
A lot can happen in 5.5 years. Here’s a list of Rebuy firsts I’m grateful to have been a part of:
- First press release, picked up by Yahoo Lifestyle and MarketWatch and shared organically
- First organic demo (when ‘Google’ first appeared in ‘how did you hear about us’)
- First demo sourced via Reddit, thanks to a post I’d written there
- First sponsored giveaway, featuring Shopify agencies Barrel, Pattern, and Superco
- First Black Friday livestream, a 2-hour program styled as a morning show
- First Shoptalk booth, where I filmed a ‘This or That’ 12-part social media series
- First celebrity cameo: Patrick Schwarzenegger in a pre-recorded clip I screened at Momentum
- First case study (Roma Designer Jewelry), still ranks as top-3 most-viewed as of this writing
Strategic takeaway
Customer input as a strategy can transform a business. I watched firsthand how co-founders John and James put that strategy to work, building what customers asked for one enhancement at a time. Before long, they’d transformed a single-function app into a full-on platform.
They didn’t rely on customer input alone, though. During my first year, they built something customers hadn’t asked for: a modular cart replacement for Shopify. It instantly became their flagship product. I helped launch it, too, which is cool.
Cliffhanger
Although my tenure ended with a layoff in June, I strangely don’t mind. Because the experience was formative and exciting, and I didn’t take it for granted.
Rebuy provided a rich environment to do what I enjoy: write, create, experiment, learn, strategize, and collaborate with smart, creative people to grow a business. For me, it was the culmination of a career pivot.
So yes, Rebuy most certainly expanded my network and connected me to all sorts of people surviving and thriving in the jungles of ecommerce. To John, James, and the entire Rebuy crew: it was an honor and a pleasure.
My job search is officially underway. More to come.
Miles
P.S. If we’ve worked together before, let’s reconnect. If we haven’t met yet and you’re into marketing (or music, or tennis, or tacos), send me a note. And if you’re hiring for content marketing or something adjacent, we should talk.